Why?
by tbonelover
Summary: House meets himself and decides to save her from the fate he already was subject to.
1. Three Ruben Sandwiches

1Title: Why? (Chapter 1/?)

Author: Sess Geek (me)

Summary: House meets "himself" and decides to save her from the fate he already was subject to. Rating: PG (so far. later chapters will have references of child abuse by neglect)

The first time he saw her was when he was (forcefully) on vacation.

"You need a break," said Cuddy while leaning over, which giving House ample time to stare down her shirt.

"No, I don't. Were else do I get a porn show every time I walk into an office?" House smirked as Cuddy quickly sat up and frowned.

"House. If you do not take a vacation, I will suspend you so you have to. You haven't taken a vacation in who knows how long. Go to the beach, a museum, anything! As long as you're not in my hospital, I honestly don't care were you are."

House smirked. "But what about-"

"Wait," Cuddy said, "Let me amend my last statement. As long as you're not in my hospital, or my house, I don't care were you are." House stomped his feet, looking as much as an eight year old than he'd ever had. "House. Leave. Now." Cuddy said, hiding her smile.

"Fine," House said, "I'll take some days off. But only because there's an L-Word marathon this week."

House actually liked being on vacation, not that he would tell Cuddy. The only problem was how boring it got. 12 hours of the L-Word could only take him so far. And there was also the fact that Wilson wasn't there to buy him lunch every day. Staggering up from the deep hole of his couch, House limped over to the kitchen. Grumbling to himself, he ripped open his fridge and stared moodily at the empty shelves. The fact that he hadn't eaten in around a day and a half reared it's head as hunger suddenly attacked his stomach. He needed a Ruben, and the only places that served them (where they didn't taste like crap) were the hospital and a little shack besides the library. Deciding to leave risking suspension to another day, House grabbed his helmet and headed over to the shack.

Three ruben sandwiches later, House sighed contentedly and decided to walk to the library next door. Even if there was an L-Word marathon tomorrow, he would need something to do during the commercials.

House was a like a little kid in a candy store when he was in a library. Medical journals were interesting, and he got a couple of science magazines monthly, but there was nothing more he liked to read than some over the top mystery books. He usually managed to solve them about three chapters in, but House thought it was fun to read chapter after chapter of characters blundering around and killing each other trying to find the answer he already knew. He was deciding what book to choose when a small hand ghosted around his back and a even smaller voice said " 'Scuse me." House turned around, startled, and came face to face (or rather, her face to his chest) with a small teenage girl. She was carrying a stack of three rather large mysteries, to of which House had read. He remembered them, and soon came to the conclusion that they were **not **for a girl of 14 or 15. She looked a little to smart for her own good, something that reminded House of himself. The girl moved past him, settled herself into a desk in the corner of the library, and started to read the largest of the three books. House watched her. He was interested, and he didn't know why. This teenage girl was his newest puzzle, and House wasn't going to stop until he found all the pieces.

Tbone


	2. Empty Stares

AN: Thanks for the review, here's the next chapter. It's in the girl's P.O.V. I'm probably going to do one chapter House, one chapter the girl until their stories meet up.

CHAPTER 2: EMPTY STARES

She woke up to the sound of a car rushing past the bench she was on.

Startled, she shot up and checked her watch. It was still early (around five o'clock) so she should be able to get into her house, take a shower, and grab some clothes. It really didn't matter if her parents were there or not, because honestly, they didn't care. She would rather not run into them, though... nothing was worse then seeing your own parent's empty stare directed at you.

Luckily, no one was awake yet so she could pass through the house without incident. Hopping out of her kitchen window (the door creaked) she quickly jogged down the sidewalk to catch her bus... just like any other day.

Once she was on the bus, her whole life changed. She went from Emily the unknown, the unloved, the unseen, to Emily the musical, smart, and confident kid with a good number of friends. It was amazing, really, how easy it was to lie to people, to everyone really, about her quote loving parents and secure home unquote. Besides, she already knew the score. Her friends cared about her in school, but not at home (there she could sink or swim). Everybody lies, she thought to herself as she joined her friend in the bus seat.

After mindless hours of school (why bother to pay attention, it was just worksheets about stuff she knew three years ago) Emily decided to head to the gym. It was too early to go to the library, the aids usually got suspicious when someone stayed for 6+ hours without calling their parents. She stayed in the gym until everyone else left, and until the teacher running the program said softly "Do you need a ride somewhere?" Emily quickly shook her head and left. Nobody could see her as a weak child except herself.

Emily decided to walk to the library, because she was getting low on cash again. Lucky for her, most adults took pity on the small girl carrying groceries, so she usually turned out okay. She usually made around 10 bucks an hour, and worked for about 14 hours a week, so she could pay for her own food. It's not like her parents would buy her anything, they were to wrapped up in themselves.

When Emily finally made it to the library, she headed straight for the mysteries section. She loved mysteries because she could solve them in the first couple of chapters, and after that it was just funny to read. She noticed a tall man, standing slightly bent, staring intently over a shelve of some mysteries. He looked like he didn't shave much and was wearing a t-shirt. She would have mistaken him for a bum if she didn't notice the high-finished cane resting along his leg. She couldn't get past without moving him. Emily slid past him, a hand on his back, and she said "Excuse me," in a quiet voice. The man turned around, as though he was startled, and stared down at her with piercing intensity with his blue eyes.

She quickly moved past him and sat down at a desk, pretending not to notice the man's eyes on her. Why was he watching her so intently? She shook her head, and began to read.


	3. Internet Tools

CHAPTER 3- Internet Tools

House peeked his head around a random book as he studied the girl. She looked to be about 14 or 15, although she looked a little under nourished. She looked completely at ease, but years of watching people showed House that she was uncomfortable and guarded against something, or someone.

After reading for a while, the girl moved to the computers and began to browse the internet. House was about to give up his watching when the girl got up and left the internet open House sprinted (well, you know what I mean) over and clicked through the numerous windows she had opened. The first couple were just random. Stuff like (what's this?, thought House to himself), Yahoo! (but no email), and AddictingGames. House was about to close the last screen, but stopped when he saw the words "Signed, Emily." He skimmed through the text and found words of hate and sadness, words that spoke out against parents and useless learning and kids who didn't care. He even saw a mention of himself. "I'm in the library (like always) but this time there's a man here. He looked at me weird... like he was searching me or something. Well, I don't know..."

House looked up and saw Emily looking down on him, a ugly frown across her face. House waited for her to yell, to react like any teenager would. Instead, she just looked at him, a way that he looks at people: As if he was looking deep into their soul. House met her eyes and found them to be like his, full of wit, some smart-ass, and deep under those, pain and sadness. She continued looking at him, until he was almost uncomfortable, an emotion that House usually doesn't have to deal with. He stood up, grabbed his cane, and turned to leave. But first he turned to Emily. "You're not alone," he said, then mentally slapped himself for using such an over-used cliche. However, she didn't seem to notice. Instead of looking afraid or confused. Emily nodded softly. House turned and walked out of the library, swearing to get to this girl and figure her out.

But she got to him first.

Tbone


End file.
